Iconic Blum’s Crunch Cake

Coffee, Cream, Crunch and Bubbles. Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake is pure San Francisco: vanilla sponge, clouds of whipped cream, and an irresistible coffee crunch. Add a sip of sparkling, and everything lifts.

Ingredients

Sponge Cake

6 eggs

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 ½ cups sugar

¼ cup cold water

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 ½ cups cake flour

¼ tsp salt

Coffee Crunch Topping

1 cup sugar

¼ cup corn syrup

½ cup very strong brewed coffee

3 tbsp baking soda, sifted

Whipped Cream Frosting

1 pt heavy cream

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

How to Make

The Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stage a 10" tube cake pan, ungreased.

Beat the eggs whites until foaming. Add the cream of tartar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Stage a clean and very dry mixing bowl from a standing mixer, fitted with the wire whisk, and set at medium-high speed. Add the egg yokes and beat for 1 minute. Add the water and beat for one minute. Add the sugar and beat for 10 minutes.

Sift the flour with the salt, 3 times.

Add the vanilla to the sugar egg yolk mixture. Beat to blend in. On very low speed, add the flour/salt mixture an mix in very well. By hand, fold in the egg whites until batter is completely blended. Scrape the batter into the tube pan. Gently remove air bubbles with the back of a butter knife.

Bake at 350 degrees until dry crumb tested, and light golden brown. 45 minutes.

Remove cake from oven and invert the tube pan onto an unopened still wine bottle to cool completely. When ready to assemble the cake, carefully run a knife around the edge of the cake pan. Release the cake from the pan onto a work surface or presentation plate.

Make the Coffee Crunch

In a large heavy bottom pot, stir together the sugar, corn syrup and coffee. Over medium-high heat on the stove, cook the mixture until hard crack candy stage. 310 degrees on a candy thermometer. Stirring is OK, a few times. The mixture will foam up a lot. This is OK. Remove the candy from the heat, and immediately add and beat in the sifted baking soda with a wooden spoon.

Turn the candy out onto an ungreased sheet pan. Do not spread. Let it sit.

The coffee crunch can be made a day in advance.

For the Whipped Cream

Beat the cream until soft peaks form, then add the sugar and vanilla. Continue beating until stiff, but don't let it go too far. Set aside.

Assembling the Cake

Generously but neatly slather the cake with the whipped cream.

With a wooden mallet, smash the coffee crunch into medium and smallish pieces, and add all over the cake. You can chill the cake until ready to cut and serve. Pop the bubbles!